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Authorities want to talk to man who donned bear costume and harassed bears in Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska State Troopers want to talk to a man believed to have donned a fairly realistic bear costume to harass a sow and two cubs.

The incident happened on the Chilkoot River near Haines, Alaska, on Monday. The bears are frequent visitors to a fish weir, where pink salmon are running.

Crowds gathered to watch the bears when, suddenly, a man in a bear suit ran through the crowd and began jumping. He got within 10 feet of the cubs, and Alaska Fish and Game technician Lou Cenicola moved the sow out the way for the man’s safety.

It wasn’t immediately known why the man did this. He refused to give Cenicola his name, but the technician got the man’s license number as he drove off, still in full costume.

Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters says it’s not the first time they have encountered a man in a bear suit.